Gaza: IRC warns of alarming gap in care for unaccompanied and separated children in Gaza – Occupied Palestinian Territory

• According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 17,000 children in Gaza who are alone or separated from their parents. However, the real number could be much higher.

• New research from the IRC shows that the risk of family separation has increased dramatically in recent months, exacerbated by multiple displacements, arrests, Israeli evacuation orders and deaths, with children living alone in hospitals.

• Children who are alone or separated from their parents are at high risk of child labour, exploitation, neglect, hunger and mental health problems.

• Caregivers and professionals said children in shock in Gaza seek comfort, cling to others when confronted with loud noises, wet the bed, have nightmares and try to sleep under the bed to feel safe.

• Children who have experienced traumatic events are at risk of long-term consequences for their development if they do not have access to protection, psychosocial activities or safe spaces.

  Amman, Jordan, August 16, 2024 — More than ten months after the escalation of hostilities in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with children bearing the brunt of the conflict. While at least 17,000 children are estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from their parents in Gaza, a new IRC An evaluation shows that the numbers may be much higher, given the work in other conflict zones.

The situation is worsening due to ongoing mass displacements and has continued to escalate since Israel launched its ground invasion of Rafah, where more than 1 million people had previously found shelter, leading to mass displacement. Further displacements, arrests, detentions and Israeli evacuation orders across Gaza have led to further separation.

The report also highlighted that telecommunications disruptions and access problems hamper family reunification efforts.

Doctors have reported to the IRC that children without surviving family members are being found in hospitals, effectively living alone due to the lack of alternative care arrangements. A UN survey from April 2024 found that 41 percent of families in Gaza were caring for children who were not their own as of October, a rate more than eight times higher than typical emergency estimates of between three and five percent. At the same time, UNICEF estimates that up to 19,000 children have been orphaned. While community members are stepping in to provide care, conditions remain dire, with displaced populations lacking basic necessities such as food, water, adequate shelter and access to health care. These scarcities heighten fears of child neglect, particularly amid recent displacements, as families may be forced to prioritize their own children over others due to limited space and resources.

The IRC calls for an urgent scale-up of support for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), including diversified care options to meet the high level of need. While humanitarian agencies have launched interventions to prevent family separations and created systems to identify and document UASC, these processes have been slow and difficult due to access restrictions, challenges in humanitarian response and security constraints.

It is also crucial to prioritize support for UASC through psychosocial support activities and the creation of safe spaces. Persistent toxic stress from violence and displacement can lead to long-term health problems for children. Without support through psychosocial activities or safe spaces for children, there is a significant risk of long-term developmental effects, including on brain development. The urgency of the situation calls for immediate international support and intervention to mitigate these long-term effects and support the resilience and recovery of Palestinian children.

The international community must urgently support efforts to strengthen these systems and call on Israel to remove all barriers to humanitarian response. Ultimately, a ceasefire is the only way to fully protect Palestinian lives, secure the release of hostages taken from Israel by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October, and safely scale up humanitarian assistance and services. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) calls on all parties to agree to an immediate and lasting ceasefire as provided for in UN Security Council resolution 2735.

Ulrike Julia Wendt, IRC’s Emergency Child Protection Coordinator, says:

“The situation for children in Gaza is extremely dire. Children are being killed, injured or separated from their families in this conflict. The ongoing conflict is seriously endangering the health and well-being of children.

“Children who are abandoned or separated from their families, including orphans, are at particularly high risk of child labour, exploitation, neglect and mental health problems. Their access to essential resources for survival is also severely restricted. A psychologist I spoke to in Gaza last month described many cases of children in shock, often seeking comfort and clinging to adults when they hear loud noises. Some children have also started wetting the bed, having nightmares and asking to sleep under the bed to feel safer. We do not know how girls who go out to get money get it, and domestic violence, including sexual violence, is on the rise.

“Children should be in school, but instead you see them at the bakery, carrying very heavy jerry cans that are sometimes as tall as they are. Many children walk around without shoes and wearing dirty clothes. Although it is sometimes heartwarming to see children laughing and dancing to music, this is not their daily reality given the conditions they live in. It is crucial to create some kind of safe space for children, even though there is no safe space in Gaza. Children are resilient and can recover, but they urgently need supportive conditions and a protective environment to be able to do so.”

END

Notes to editors:

The summary of the IRC’s protection report on unaccompanied and separated children can be found here. here.

In Gaza, the IRC directly provides water, sanitation and hygiene services and has launched nutrition and child protection programs. Together with partners, the IRC provides emergency and life-saving medical care, including direct medical care, in Gaza’s few remaining operational hospitals. IRC health partners also procure and distribute medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. In addition to supporting the health sector, the IRC works with partners to provide psychosocial support, protection and early childhood development activities that are integrated with water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition messages.

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